How Much Does Ancestry Cost?
Here at Genomelink, we like to help people get the most out of their DNA testing! In this article, we’re going to look at how much Ancestry DNA test kits cost, how much an Ancestry historical records database subscription costs, and how Ancestry stacks up to the competition in terms of value. Plus, we’ll take a look at some cools sites you can use to get even more value out of your Ancestry DNA test kit and raw DNA data!
AncestryDNA Costs
Ancestry.com recently overhauled their product offerings and prices on all of their DNA tests. They scrapped their AncestryHealth tests, allowing them to focus more energy on what they are good at - ancestry testing. They can tell you if your great grandfather was Native American, or if your aunt immigrated to New York. They now offer three different packages you can buy right now with a credit card number:
AncestryDNA Kit - $99
This ancestry DNA kit kit includes only ancestry-related information. With this kit, you will be able to get an ethnicity estimate that can connect your DNA to thousands of region-specific ethnicities across the globe. With over 18 million users, Ancestry has one of the largest databases and most developed sets of reference populations on the market. In addition to this, Ancestry provides you with information about how your ancestors may have migrated around the globe, and pertinent historical information to make your family story more complete.
With this basic package, Ancestry will also show you any DNA matches you have on the Ancestry database - family members that share segments of your genome. While this service will also let you use the family tree maker, you will need a paid subscription service to start filling in the “leaves” of your tree with relevant historical information. See more about how to become a subscriber and what you get by subscribing below!
AncestryDNA + Traits Kit - $119
The extra $20 cost attached to this kit is because you get reports on an additional 25+ non-health related traits. These traits include things like freckling, skin pigmentation, cilantro aversion, bitter sensitivity, and other physical and sensory traits that have been correlated to variations you carry in your DNA.
Fun fact: you can get many of these traits from third-party DNA analysis sites. Many of these sites offer free trials or a number of free traits. You should probably explore these options before shelling out an additional $20 to Ancestry for things you probably already know about yourself.
DNA + Family Tree Bundle - $100 (An All Access Introductory Offer)
This bundle is a great way to see what Ancestry is all about. This $10 addition to the basic AncestryDNA package gives you 3 months of access to Ancestry’s renowned historical records database and family tree service. Using the database, you can search for actual historical records that document the lives of your ancestors, and easily add these documents to your electronic family tree.
Your DNA results will also automatically incorporate your living relatives and their ancestry trees into your tree, making Ancestry one of the most powerful tools available for really understanding your family’s heritage and origins. The documents included in Ancestry’s database include census records, military records, U.S. records, international records, and access to Newspapers.com and Fold3.com - all essential tools for genealogy research!
However, be aware that this is only an introductory offer. After your first 3 months are up, Ancestry will automatically start billing you $80/quarter (every three months, $320/year) for their “World Explorer” subscription package - one step above the “U.S. Discovery” package. You can cancel your account at any time, or you can change your subscription to one of Ancestry’s 3 subscription packages. You can compare what you get with each Ancestry account on Ancestry’s Subscription Packages page.
Note: If you are looking for health-related DNA tests, you should definitely check out the comprehensive health tests offered by 23andMe.
Coupon Codes and Ancestry.com Sales
While $99 is the standard price for an Ancestry DNA test kit, there are many times each year that Ancestry offers pretty large discounts on their products. In fact, at certain times of the year you can get an AncestryDNA kit for only $49! That’s a 50% savings!
This sale is usually offered around Black Friday. If you don’t want to wait around until then, the editors at Genomelink have compiled a comprehensive list of Ancestry sales based on archived Ancestry.com pages from several years. This can help you predict when Ancestry will drop there prices. You can also check out our article on Ancestry Coupon Codes to see if there are any third-parties currently offering discounts on AncestryDNA test kits!
Want Even More from an AncestryDNA Test?
If you really want to extract the most value out of your DNA test, you’re going to want to download your raw DNA data. Once you take the Ancestry test and get your results, follow these instructions on how to download your raw DNA data file. With this file, you can instantly share your DNA testing results with other companies. These companies can match the genetic variants you carry to a wide variety of other traits that Ancestry does not report on. Here are some of our favorites:
Genomelink - That’s Us!
With Genomelink, you can get 25 traits for free simply by uploading your DNA data file. We cover over 200+ traits that are straight from leading edge of genetic science. With each trait, we provide an estimate of how your specific variants may affect the trait and break down the science that was used to identify the correlation between the trait and your genetic variants. We cover traits in categories like Nutrition, Sports Performance, Personality, and Intelligence!
GEDmatch
Though Ancestry provides some pretty powerful family history tools, GEDmatch offers power tools that genetic genealogists use to predict relationships between people based on the DNA they share. For instance, you can “parse” your DNA to see which parts came from your father or mother, or you can directly compare your DNA to another sample uploaded to GEDmatch. You can also do a family search for any living relatives that have also used the site. Be sure to check out our article on GEDmatch to learn how to get started. Of all the genealogy websites, it’s one of the best.
You can also check out our article on the Best Genealogy sites to see other places you can get family tree maker software to create your own family tree.
Promethease
Promethease is technically called a “literature retrieval service” because it connects you directly to peer-reviewed scientific articles that report on the specific genes you carry. For only $12, Promethease will use your raw DNA data file to show you exactly where the information on your genetic variants has been published. While this information can sometimes be dense and filled with scientific jargon, it is a great (and cheap!) way to get the health information that Ancestry no longer offers.
And Beyond!
There are literally dozens of companies that can do cool things with your raw DNA data. We have compiled the very Best DNA Upload Sites for you to use, and many of them are free sites!
